Mri Of Lumbar Spine - Laser Treatment

I was just surfing over the net when i came across with this site, which is the most interesting and yes i could say more reliable than any doctor's advise concering back problems.

I am 24 years old, i live and work in Cyprus as a lawyer and i have a history(!!!) of back problems.

[U][B]HISTORY[/B][/U]

1. At the age of 16 (Autumn 1995) i was hospitalised with fever, followed by back pains. That summer i had gone to a camp and to my confess had push my back to the limit, lifting water tanks up to the air. HUGE MISTAKE. Anyway, that did not affect me at that time, since the pain left a week later, but ovbiously had a consequense to my future back condition. (Had a CT scan showing stenosis of the nerve root @ L4/5)

2. At the the age of 22(2001) the back pain returned and kasted 2 months. Again the CT showed nothing serious (as the docs told me) but the stenosis was still there. Dont really remember the reason of the pain (lifting or hearting). Anyway, i did not give much concern to the matter as the pain left amd since the docs did not stress out any particular danger so i would be more careful. Again HUGE MISTAKE

3. Last November the pain returned. But this time it was worse, because not only my back was in pain but also my left foot. I gave it some time fot the pain to leave but nothing. A CT scan showing disk prolapse and after many consulations i had an MRI scan.
I have to say that the doctors advise me about a surgery, which i am not willing to even consider as the risks are huge, and the doctors told me that i am in the border line to do a surgery or not. So i waiting for 3 months to see how the situation would go. Unfortunately the condition remain the same. I am now in bed for 2 weeks as a last hope to get better before considering any operation.

The MRI showed:
[I]There is some loss of signal involving the L4-5 and in a lesser degree the L5-S1, L3-4, D10-11 amd D11-12 intervertebral discs indicating dehydration. At the L4-5 there is a large posterior central and slightly left side prolapse compressing the thecal sac and narrowing both L5 lateral recessess more severely the left displacing the left L5 descending nerve root and compromising the right. The disc prolapse extends slighly inferiorly posterior to the L5 vertebral body. It extends approximately 6mm below the disc level. [/I] (It continous with more medical terms concluding that at the L4-5 is the main concern).

My topic to be examined and welcome every advise from you all is a treatment not by a surgery but by a laser operation.

Is a treatment been done in New York mainly, but world wide known. Looking at the statistics, the most operations were done at the level L4-5 where my problem is situated. What this operation does (as i understand) is that it dehydrates the disk (which is 75-80% water) so the disk will not affect the nerve and pain will leave immediately.

The doctors advise me to lye and rest for 6 weeks so that the disk dehydrates ( when you are not moving-walking etc), but this painless operation as shown on the website does that in 20 minutes.
Unfortunately, when i spoke about this treatment to my doctors, their reaction was negative. I wonder if there is someone out there that know this kind of operation and please, all of you, feel free to reply and tell me what you think about this laser treatment and what should i do.

Sorry for not been short but it is a serious matter for me and i am giving so much information to give you the full picture so i gat better answers.

Thank you in advance guys.

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Last edited by moderator2; 04-04-2004 at 04:00 PM.
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When you lay down or sleep for overnight, your disk re-hydrate, don't they, not dehydrate. You don't want them to dehydrate. That is a bad thing. Maybe you typed it wrong.

To lay down and rest for any period of time is nuts unless absolutely neccesary. You want to lose all flexabiltity? Moving about is the best thing that you can do for your body!

Does your MRI suggest at any point that anything is touching on a nerve? That would be where the pain would be coming from since you don't indicate arthritis. Stenosis is narrowing of the spinal but your MRI doesn't say that it is a problem.

If I were you, I would see a Neurologist, have an EMG, discogram, and seek another opinion but meantime I would get up and search the net for back exercises and do them religiously.

Back pain does not always mean surgery, pain meds, or other treatments.

cheryl: I was just reading a site that deals with mobilisation (no, not spelled incorrectly) and it says:

Please take this advice seriously.

Once you’ve had surgery, there’s literally no going back – the effects are 100%, completely irreversible.

Also,

In our opinion, the only spinal conditions that require surgery are:
fractured, or broken, vertebrae

certain infections

cancer

Now, I did read the articles that also said that mobilisation was very ineffective in studies and that it is basically snake oil. I was wondering after reading your MRI report, why you had any type of surgery, lazer or otherwise?

Thx for replying.
Just been to a physiotherapist who indicated that my symptoms is not a result of the prolapse of the disk but from the stiffness the nerve developed around it in order to be porotected. She suggested movement therapy which i will continue while in bed.
I will be informing you for my news and condition.
Hope to be helpful for all of you.

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My doctor (nevrologist) is confident that my pain is the result of the prolapse, which as he explained to me has an immediate effect on my nerve. But my problem appeared in late October last year, and i have not suffered from any weakness on my affected leg. So i disagree with his diagnose as if the prolapse affects my nerve then during the last 5 months i should be suffering by weakness on my leg. My physiotherapist is confident that my pain is not a resylt of the prolapse but from the fact that the nerve during the years (remember the problem appeared in 1995) have shortened and the pain is a result of the bone and muscle structure of my body. Now i am following a movement therapy that , as i see, helped a lot so far.

Please tell me if anyone have been in my situation
The matter is that i do not really know what i am suffering from (what is the real cause of my syptoms)
Thanks

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My doctor (nevrologist) is confident that my pain is the result of the prolapse, which as he explained to me has an immediate effect on my nerve. But my problem appeared in late October last year, and i have not suffered from any weakness on my affected leg. So i disagree with his diagnose as if the prolapse affects my nerve then during the last 5 months i should be suffering by weakness on my leg. My physiotherapist is confident that my pain is not a resylt of the prolapse but from the fact that the nerve during the years (remember the problem appeared in 1995) have shortened and the pain is a result of the bone and muscle structure of my body. Now i am following a movement therapy that , as i see, helped a lot so far.

Please tell me if anyone have been in my situation
The matter is that i do not really know what i am suffering from (what is the real cause of my syptoms)
Thanks [/QUOTE]

Get more opinions! See more docs, get an EMG, DON'T get an epidural, movement is good.